Letters to the Editor Jan. 17
Games continue, unfortunately
KEITH NIGHTINGALE, Ojai
The recent spate of lawyerly certified letters by the city of Ventura is the latest example of how badly we manage our land and how much we succumb to less-than-positive virtues. The city of Ventura, in an effort to force as many elements as possible to share risk of their defense against Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, decided to sue anyone utilizing the gross aquifer sources beyond the city as holding water they (the city) allegedly owns.
Letters to the Editor Jan. 3
Start 2020 with prayer, fasting
DAN NELSON, Ojai
As the new year begins, many are contemplating what happens next. I want to invite you to start the new year and the next decade with prayer and fasting. I have personal needs that require answers and direct interventions from God. How about you?
Letters to the Editor Dec. 27
MLK Day in Ojai around the corner
ELA RUF & KAREN MURILLO, Ojai
For Jan. 20, the teen-led Martin Luther King Day Committee has chosen the quote: “There is within nature an amazing potential for goodness.” MLK
Letters to the Editor Dec. 20
Stop the stop signs
MARK BODYCOMBE, Ojai
Enough stop signs!
I'm wondering if others are as bothered as I am by some of the recent new stop signs in town.
Letters to the Editor Dec. 13
Caring spirit of Ojai
CAROL HOLLY, Ojai
A couple of days before Thanksgiving, I stopped off at Vons to get a few items for our dinner. The store was unusually crowded with shoppers and overflowing shopping carts. When I finished shopping, the front of the store was jammed up with customers, carts and long lines. There was no room for an orderly line, so we all verbally agreed to who would be behind whom in the jumbled traffic jam of bodies and carts.
Letters to the Editor Dec. 6
Building civility in Ojai needed
JOHN & PEGGY RUSSELL, Ojai
On Nov. 20, about 50 of us met at The Ojai Retreat to enjoy some conversation, food and watch the Democratic Debate on television. The group of five sponsoring the event gave a short endorsement of Amy Klobuchar meant to inform why they were supporting her rather than convince others to support her. Although progressives were in the majority there were a significant number of moderates, including Republicans who have held positions in federal and state government. I see this as coming together for the good of the country, to learn and share ideas. We all need more of this to become better informed and build civility. I understand the sponsoring group is considering another such event.
Letters to the Editor Nov. 29
Let’s raise funds for bocce courts
CHUCK KILLINGSWORTH, Ojai
I recently talked with a Ventura County employee about the possibility of getting a couple of bocce courts built in either Soule Park or Camp Comfort and it was suggested that I find a place in either park and do a fundraiser to have them built.
To that end, I would like to determine how much interest there is in this idea, then arrange to have a meeting of those interested in helping with the project, and, after identifying an acceptable location, conduct fund raising. It will take between $3,000 and $5,000 to complete the project, depending on costs for materials and construction. If there’s enough interest, costs can be minimized by volunteers helping with construction.
I can be contacted via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and will look into arranging a meeting of interested persons. Thank you.
Neighborhood school is vital
KIM COOPER, Upper Ojai
I have four children and three of them are hoping to have the opportunity to begin school at the Summit Charter School. We live just a couple streets over from Summit School and are so thrilled we would be able to walk our children to school.
We have recently moved into the neighborhood and have always dreamed of living close to our school — a place where our kids can build relationships with other families close by. If the charter school does not open, it would be a great hardship on my husband and me. We both work full time and would have to drive about 20 minutes one way to get our children to the nearest public school. I’m a physical education teacher at Isbell Middle School in the Santa Paula Unified School District and I see the importance of parent and community involvement, innovative teaching strategies and unique learning.
I believe that giving parents options and letting children attend their neighborhood school is so important. That is why I believe Summit Charter would be a huge asset to the Ojai community and to the school district.
Please consider Summit Charter School and the opportunity it will bring to help our children grow and learn in an environment that can best meet their needs.
What will happen to Rock Tree Sky?
REESE LAMAR, Ojai
Thank you for your Nov. 8 article on Summit Charter School, “OUSD holds hearing on Summit Charter School.” I agree that parents need a variety of options and freedoms to choose for their children.
If this new charter school moves onto the Upper Ojai campus, will they be displacing the home of Rock Tree Sky? It is currently offering wonderful learning opportunities for children at this location which are worth supporting as well.
Summit Charter school is needed
KATIE BLACK & CARLOS RAMIREZ, Ojai
My husband and I are very excited about the prospect of a charter School in the Ojai Valley. We believe charter schools are a great opportunity to reflect the values in the communities they serve. Charter schools provide an amazing opportunity for skilled, motivated innovators to step forward and address the current pressing needs of our community.
We believe the Ojai Valley has historically welcomed progressive thinkers and educators. This is one of the things that makes Ojai special. Right now, the diverse education options in the valley are limited to the people who can afford them. The charter school would who give all children the opportunity to diversify their education if they choose.
The proposed Summit Charter School mirrors many of our values.
We are a bilingual, bicultural family. My husband and I have sought out bilingual education for ourselves and are now raising children with an understanding for both our cultures of European-American and Nicaraguan. We believe a human's ability to relate to other humans cross-culturally is crucial to being in a world that is becoming more connected.
I am a licensed clinical social worker with a Pupil Personal Service Credential. I believe our children’s emotional intelligence is the foundation to being available to learn academics. In the world of the Internet and social media, students need more individual attention and interpersonal skills.
My husband, Carlos, has a degree in agriculture business from Cal Poly-Pomona. He is passionate to address the world’s need to become more sustainable and wants our children to be informed of this pressing issue.
The time to expand, diversify and become more creative to meet the needs of our world is now. The children need to have opportunities to dive deeply into areas that reflect the world we live in.
Avoid disaster by rethinking plan
JERRY GEORGE, Meiners Oaks
Re: Russell Sydney's Nov. 1 letter, “Safe places needed to ride bicycles,” in response to my Oct. 25 letter, “No special treatment for Ojai bicyclists”:
I would have to say that it’s quite disingenuous of him to use the context of my previous letter on road dieting and bicyclists to morph into an environmental conversation.
The premise of my letter was to bring attention to alterations on roadways from their original intent and engineered design to safely and adequately control the flow of vehicular traffic.
An example of how severe the consequences of altering these designs is the city of Paradise in Northern California where the complete town was devastated. Many of the 80-plus residents died because the egress was altered to have a more pleasant aesthetic presentation of the city. The alteration caused confusion and backed up traffic, leaving these residents to perish.
In 2017, when the fire hit this area, there was traffic backed up with residents trying to evacuate, and alterations should be carefully examined before, Lord forbid, it creates a Paradise scenario.
I have concerns for the safety of bicyclists on the roads and believe that revenue and pathways should be developed in a manner that roadways are not compromised, whereby vehicle operator and passengers are not affected, with funds other than gas tax, registration fees and other funds designated for roads.
Ojai, in the past, had modified some of its residential streets and had to return them to their original configuration so that emergency vehicles could navigate them.
I also want to reiterate how bicyclists disregard safety and road signs and need to be required to follow the traffic laws, just as vehicle operators are required to. As well, attention needs to be given to bicyclists' safety training and some kind of identification of the bicycle for reporting errant operators who don’t also share the roads and commit violations.
Formidable task for Art Center
PHIL CARUTHERS, Mira Monte
This past Saturday, I attended the “Seussical” musical at the Ojai Art Center. What a great way to start the holiday season! Gai Jones did her usual outstanding job of directing a marvelous cast, (ranging in ages from 8 to 80, I hear), in a joyous production.
It was bittersweet, though, to realize it was the final production of Richard Camp’s two-year run as artistic director of the Ojai Art Center Theater. And what a magnificent run it was! Two years of the best theater we have seen in Ojai, in my opinion.
There was “On Golden Pond,” “Macbeth,” “Bakersfield Mist,” “Man of La Mancha,” the wonderful “Mama Mia!” and Richard’s own play, “Bless Your Heart,” and several others. It was announced in the Nov. 1 edition of OVN that Richard and Kathleen Kaiser (head of marketing) would be leaving their positions as of Dec. 31. It will be a formidable task for the Art Center to fill the vacuum they will leave. Ojai was fortunate to have had their services for a short two years. In the words of Herb Hemming, OACT treasurer, “They will both be missed beyond words.”
Letters to the Editor Nov. 22
What Summit would mean to us:
KATIE O’KEEFE, Upper Ojai
Summit Charter School would mean a lot for my child and family. We are Ventura County natives but are new to the Upper Ojai area and had been researching different schools to start our daughter’s education into kindergarten this coming Fall 2020, when we came across Summit Charter School.
Letters to the Editor Nov. 15, 2019
Different parties, same endorsement
John Broesamle, Judith Hale Norris, Douglas Parker, Randall Roth, Sandy Treadwell, Ojai
Although we come from different parties (two Republicans, three Democrats), we agree that the overriding political priority for 2020 is to elect a new president. We also agree that the best candidate to restore leadership and dignity to the presidency is Amy Klobuchar.
Letters to the Editor Nov. 1
Don't count on a door knock
BARBARA ANN SNYDER, Ojai
Thank you for your excellent Oct. 25 editorial, “Are you ready for that knock?”
There was one very important item omitted that I would like to add.
Letters to the Editor Oct. 25
Time for action on debris basin
BRAN DECKER, Ojai
I appreciate the articles and research by the Ojai Valley News, and especially, Perry Van Houten, regarding the need to clean up the debris basin for the diversion channel to Lake Casitas. We should follow through and communicate with our elected officials and other agencies that have jurisdiction over the watershed.